A big difference

AT A glance, and if not placed side by side, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ can be easily mistaken for the S9.
Ever since we received a unit to review some two weeks ago, the most-asked question was: “What makes it a Plus?”
After all, they are nearly identical with regards to features and specifications. So how different could it be from the S9?
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ both share the same high-end Snapdragon 845 chipset by Qualcomm. They both run on Android 8.0 Oreo, and they both come with at least 64GB of storage.
However, the S9+ impressed me right out of the box – once I completed the initial setup of course.
Unlike on the S9, the Intelligent Scan feature on the S9+ is faster and in turn, more practical. Perhaps this is because the S9+ had 6GB of memory instead of 4GB.
Intelligent Scan is Samsung’s implementation of a facial recognition and iris scanner combo as a form of user identification and authentication.
With the S9, I often resorted to using the fingerprint scanner, which is now conveniently located underneath the camera (where it belongs, in my opinion), to unlock the phone instead of using the Intelligent Scan. This is because the new feature is slower than the traditional alternative.
On the S9+ however, I find the Intelligent Scan faster than my ability to reach for the fingerprint scanner. It is so efficient that I often forget that the phone is locked.
With a display that measures 6.2in across, the S9+ is also physically bigger than the S9, and it translates to bulkier hand feel as well.
Nevertheless, Samsung manages to make using the phone a comfortable experience.
Here, I feel that the included phone case does not add or detract from the overall handling of the phone. This is in contrast to the S9, which I think improves with the casing on.
A bigger screen with the same pixel count leads to lower pixel density. In other words, the display on the S9+ is not as potent as the one on the S9.
Still, this is not an issue for most people as the screen is plain gorgeous.
What could be an issue is the width of the display. It is large enough to make it a two-handed phone for some people.
Another aspect of the display on the S9+ that I like is how smooth it is. The phone is an aluminium sandwich between two pieces of Gorilla Glass 5.
I suspect that Samsung polished the face of the phone to a level of smoothness that I have not felt on any other phone.
But the most straightforward difference between the S9 and the S9+ is its camera. The S9+ has a dual camera system that is made up of a 12MP sensor with an F1.5 to F2.4 lens, and a 12MP sensor with a fixed F2.4 aperture.
The system also features a 2x optical zoom and an industry first dual-aperture lens.
What I expect from the camera is crisp images with sharp details and accurate colours. But what I get are pictures that are a little oversaturated for my liking.
However, in my social media blind test, I find the images taken with the S9+ are more popular despite the inaccuracies.
The cameras perform well in medium and low light. However, the camera’s post-processing seems to prioritise brightness and colours over detail.
Objectively, these photos may not look natural, but they catch the eye, especially on social media. To some, that is perfect.
Super Slow-Mo is a highly-touted feature of the S9 series phone. Although Samsung is not the first to offer the feature, its implementation is the best.
Novel, fun, funny, and dramatic, the Super Slow-Mo feature can be activated automatically or manually.
To fully test out the camera’s ability to record video at 960fps and IP68 water resistance, I took the S9+ to Sunway Lagoon theme park during its second Aqua Run. (Check out the sample videos on theSun website, thesundaily.my.)
At the end of the two weeks, I find myself more attached to the S9+ than the S9. On paper, the differences between the two may be superficial, but there is a difference.
This can be seen in their price tag as well. A 64GB S9 is priced at RM3,299 but a 64GB S9+ is tagged at RM3,799.
The S9+ is also available with 128GB internal storage (at RM3,999) and 256GB (RM4,399).
For more, visit the Samsung Malaysia website.